W.Va. black lung clinics getting $1.2m from U.S.

ByThe Associated Press

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – More than $1.2 million in federal funding is headed to West Virginia to support the state’s eight black lung clinics.

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin announced the federal support on Wednesday. The money will be divided between the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources and the West Virginia Primary Care Association.

Manchin said the funding is less than the state received last year and says he’s fighting to get more federal dollars.

The state Department of Health and Human Resources administers grant funding for eight black lung clinics. It is proposing to add a ninth clinic.

Federal mining officials say the disease has caused or contributed to the deaths of 76,000 miners since 1968.